News you might have missed at Points Well Made - 8th November
News in the points world is like buses, nothing, and then it all comes at once!
First up, Finnair has launched its biggest buy Avios sale yet, with up to 50% off and a 10% tier points bonus on top. That brings the price under 1p per Avios, which is cheaper than last month’s 40% off sale, and the cheapest we’ve seen. It runs until 16 November, and we’ve gone through the details and the best currency to buy in.
On the Amex front, there are new boosted sign-up offers on both the Platinum and Gold, running until January. The twist this time is that Amex is pairing the points with a Selfridges eGift card worth up to £150, nicely timed for Christmas. If you’re in it purely for the points though, these aren’t the strongest offers we’ve seen. Speaking of the Platinum, Amex has also confirmed that unlimited Priority Pass lounge access is being scaled back from 2028, replaced with a fixed number of visits unless you hit a spend threshold. Nothing changes yet, but it’s worth knowing about now.
Just so you’re aware, Royal Jordanian ran a flash status match earlier this week that let you match almost any hotel elite status to oneworld Sapphire (the BA Silver equivalent). That offer closed on 5 November, so if you grabbed it, well played. If you didn’t, we’ve written it up so you know what to look for next time one of these comes around.
We’ve rounded up a batch of Virgin Points offers (free 2,500 points, triple on trains, bonus on Booking.com), Avios Insurance has quietly added car cover with 20 Avios per £1 until 27 November, and I’ve written something that might get me kicked off the internet: we’ve booked an economy flight with our points, and we’re not sorry about it. The spreadsheet warriors and forum gatekeepers won’t approve, but that’s rather the point.
Sam
If you hold pretty much any elite status with a hotel group, there is a flash status match live now to Gold Sparrow in Royal Jordanian’s Royal Club programme, which is the equivalent of oneworld Sapphire, the same status tier as BA Silver.
That is the sweet spot tier to hold if you fly British Airways (or any other oneworld airline) as you’ll get lounge access for you and a guest, seat selection, etc.
The difference with this status match offer compared to past ones with Royal Jordanian, is that even the lowest tiers of hotel status can now be matched to oneworld Sapphire, opening this up to even more people.
This offer ended on 5th November, but if you want to have read about it, simply click here.
Edit: Finnair has updated it's pricing, and it is no longer cheapest to buy in Japanese Yen. See this post by LoyaltyLobby explaining that US Dollar is now the currency of choice.
Finnair has launched another buy Avios sale, and this time the headline number really does tell the story. You can get up to 50% off Avios between 2 and 16 November 2026, with a fixed 10% tier points bonus on top.
The last time Finnair ran a discount sale, in June, the best you could get was 40% off. This one beats it at every level.
American Express is changing how Priority Pass lounge access works on the UK Platinum Card. From 1 January 2028, most cardholders will get a fixed number of free visits each year rather than unlimited entry. Spend enough, and you keep the unlimited access.
Nothing changes yet. Your current Priority Pass access stays as it is throughout 2026 and 2027.
American Express has launched new limited-time sign-up offers on its Platinum and Gold Cards, running until 12 January 2027.
We'll start with the headline addition. Amex is adding Selfridges eGift Cards worth up to £150 on top of boosted Membership Rewards points, just as the festive shopping period approaches. It has also sweetened its Invite a Friend referral programme for both those who are referring, or have been referred. The business versions of both cards get new offers too.
Pairing points with a gift card is a double-edged sword. Amex says the aim is to reward Cardmembers through everyday spend and extra benefits, and that pairing bonus points with Selfridges, a popular shopping destination among customers, gives new applicants more value from their card. But if you're in it purely for the points, then these offers are not as strong as past sign up offers for these cards.
For all the details on this, you can find them.
Virgin is in a generous mood this month, and I have rounded up everything for you in one place. There is a free 2,500 point bonus for Tesco Clubcard fans, triple points on train tickets, bonus points on Booking.com stays and a brand new partner for electric car drivers. Grab a cuppa and let’s dive in.
You can now collect Avios on car insurance, bought directly from Avios itself. Avios Insurance has launched its car cover, and until 27 November British Airways Club members in the UK can collect 20 Avios per £1 on a policy, up to 10,000 Avios. After that, the rate drops to 10 Avios per £1, capped at 5,000.
For a sense of scale, 10,000 Avios covers a one-way off-peak economy Reward Flight to Amsterdam, Berlin or Paris with British Airways (taxes not included). Read all about it!
In the miles and points world, the internet can make you feel guilty if you even dare think of buying anything but a long-haul business class flight. This is one of the reasons we started Points Well Made, to wrestle back the narrative from the spreadsheet warriors and forum gatekeepers, and bring it back to reality.
I started writing this a while back, but it was spurred on by a comment written by Samantha on our guest article by Beta and Nat from Fly Smart Club ....
It's finally gave me a kick up the backside to write this article... We've booked an economy flight, using points. Which you can read all about here!
Points Well Made is a passion project from Sam and Helena. If you've enjoyed this and want to help us keep the lights on, please consider buying us a Ko-fi or subscribing monthly. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for more of the same. Thanks for reading.
Comments